Improvement in paper-clips



.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

`WILLIAM A. AMBERG, oF'oHIcAGO, ILLINOIS..

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-CLIPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 92,141, dated July 6, 1869.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, WILLI AM A. AMBERG, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improved Paper Holder, File, and Binder;

which letters or bills or other papers may be, filed and indexed, and in which they are firmly and securely held in place, and in which, when the device is filled, or when enough papers, bills, or letters are filed to form a volume, the letters, bills, or other papers may be securely bound together, either with or without the index, as hereinafter fully set forth.

To lenable those skilled in the art to understand how to construct and use my said invention, I will proceed to describe the same with particularity, making reference in so doing to the aforesaid drawings, in which- Figure l represents a front view or elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view of the pressing-bar, which holds the papers in place, and Fig. 4 isa side view of said invention.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts of my said iuvention.

A represents the bottom of the device, which is provided with side pieces B B and the back H, as shown, the height of the back and that part of the sides adjacent being sufficient to allow thedesired number of letters, bills, or other papers t0 be laid in the box, and below the top of the device C, which is connected to the back H by hinges, and is secured in place by means of hasps or hooks l, as shown in the drawings.

The width of the box is designed to be sufcient to permit ordinary letter or note paper to be laid upon the bottom lengthwise, and legal or foolscap crosswise; but the dimensions of the box are immaterial, and it may be made of any desired size.

Beneath the cover or top C is arranged a strip of wood or othei` material, (marked D,)

upon the top of which, near each end, is a block, di, over which a spiral coil-spring is arranged, said blocks d serving to keep the springs in place, while the upper ends of said v springs are retained in place by means of similar blocks, e, upon the under side of the top piece C, as shown.

Instead of said springs, springs of rubber or conical coil-springs may be used, secured in position in any suitable manner.

The said springs tend to press the bar D down upon whatever may be placed beneath it, and is provided with a handle whereby it may be raised up, which handle may be passed over a hook, h, and held up when desired.

In said bar, and also in the bottom directly beneath, are slots b b, whose ends are formed with enlargements t a, for the purpose of facilitating the binding of the files contained in the holder when desired, as hereinafter described.

In the said box is a series of cardboard sheets, indexed, as shown, between which,

if desired, be withdrawn, and the entire contents of the file be bound together and removed, ready for another set or series.

To bind the files, the hooks l are detached,

and the cover C thrown back upon its hinges, when perforations are made by passing an awl through the holes a, through which tapes are passed and drawn down through the bottom and tied, the tapes passing through the slots b, when the bar D is removed, and the file, properly and securely bound, is taken out as aforesaid.

Instead of the arrangement herein shown, the springs may be so arranged as to operate in connection with the side pieces B, in which Vcase the cover `or top C may be dispensed I claimy with; or said springs may operate against A paper-holder, tile, andbinder,when conlngs formed upon the top of the back H or structed and operating substantially as desides B. i scribed, and in avconvenient form for index- If preferred, the side pieces B B may be ing and binding, substantially as set forth.

dispensed with, as the only service which they perform is to keep the edges of the let- WILLIAM A. AMBERG. ters or other papers tiled even and straight.

Having described the construction and op- Witnesses: eration of my invention, I will specify what I W. E. MARES, claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent: i L. L. COBURN. 

